Playing Favorites
by smartkid37
Summary: Vance witnesses a pattern on Team Gibbs that he doesn't like. He tries to talk to Gibbs about it and expects results. Missing Scene from Jet Lag - based on something Gibbs said in the episode. ***Loose interpretation enclosed.*** NO HALOS ALLOWED!
1. Called To The Carpet

_Missing Scene from Jet Lag - based on something Gibbs said in the episode. Loose interpretation enclosed. _

* * *

_"Our Best Agent's with her."_

Leon Vance hid his surprise as his brain attempted to process what he'd heard. Did theMCRT Team Leader _really_ just say that about his Senior Field Agent? Vance mentally challenged the pedestal the man had just verbally put DiNozzo on. Thankful that the just as dedicated and capable Agent McGee hadn't been here to here himself thought less of in such an obvious way. Did Gibbs really think of his agents in such different degrees? Casting a glare in Gibbs' direction, Vance silently vowed to discuss this with the man later.

* * *

"Hey Mcnever gets to go anywhere important on a case; you miss me?" Tony loudly gloated as he sailed into the squad room, completely obvlivious to Vance watching from the stair landing and Gibbs walking up behind him as he vacated the elevator. Ziva quickly distanced herself from Tony's brash taunting of McGee. Sometimes Tony just went too far and apparently this was going to be one of those times.

Tim rolled his eyes and attempted to shrug Tony's meanness, off and turned back to his computer without bothering to rise to the bait. He no longer worried about whether this slight of manners went over well where Tony was concerned. Tony still, after all these years, took too much pleasure out of other people's expenses. The sad part was that even after everything they'd been through, with Ziva's rescue and all the other ups and downs the team had been through, Tony still insisted on treating Tim this way, less than equal; always inferior. Right now, Tim was too worried about Gibbs' injury from where the boss had shoved him out of the way of that bastard's car. He hadn't even had time to talk to Gibbs about it or apologise for putting Gibbs in the position where he'd gotten damn near run over in the parking garage. Yeah, right about now, Tony wasn't something Tim even had time to deal with.

_*Smack*_

"Thank you, Boss. Glad to see you missed me." Tony responded with the goofiness of his typical frat boy persona.

"Knock it off, DiNozzo! You've got a report to write. Get on it!" Gibbs barked as he headed to his own desk and sat down. Feeling Vance's eyes on him, he raised his eyes to the ones he felt boring into him from across the room. Rising back up out of his chair, Gibbs silently headed up to see what Vance wanted.

"You need to see me?" Gibbs asked.

"In my office." Vance said in his normally short and cryptic manner.

Gibbs silently walked with Vance; unsure of what the guy's problem was or what was going on. His gut was telling him that this wasn't gonna be a positive meeting. As Vance shut his office door behind them and walked around his desk to sit in his chair, Gibbs, unsure of how long this was gonna take, took the chair in front of Vance's desk.

"What's on your mind, Leon?" Gibbs asked carefully.

"Your agents, Gibbs."

"What about them, Leon? They all did their jobs. The case has been solved and the witness is safe and sound.

"Heard something disturbing today, Gibbs; a couple of things, actually. Think we need to talk about it." Vance said.

"What's this about, Leon?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

_"Our Best Agent's with her." "_Your words earlier today, talking about DiNozzo." Leon reminded the grey haired man in front of him.

"Yeah. I said that. Leon." Gibbs said. "Some reason you have a problem with what I chose to say about my agents, now?" Gibbs asked in aggravation.

"Is there some reason you play favorites among your agents? It's not something that bodes well for morale within the Agency. Come to think about it, this is quite an ongoing thing on your team, isn't it? Any idea why it is, Gibbs, that the entire agency is under the impression that you regard DiNozzo and only DiNozzo as your 'son'?"

"I don't control skuttlebutt, Leon and I damn sure don't listen to it," Gibbs said in anger.

"No, I'm sure you don't. But, I also know you're well aware how damaging skuttlebutt can be. From what I've heard today, I thought you'd appreciate being more careful with your team's morale." Vance advised.

"My team's morale is fine, Leon." Gibbs bit out.

"So, you just smacked DiNozzo upside the head for the hell of it, then?" Vance asked dryly but without humor.

"What's your point, Leon?" Gibbs asked angrily.

"Rein DiNozzo in, Gibbs. If I even _hear_ that he's disrespected anyone else, he'll find himself on the losing end of a suspension." Vance vowed.


	2. Blowout

_A/N: I checked the tape of the episode; ."Our best Agent's with her." is **exactly** what Gibbs. He did **not** use the word "are".  
Hence, the "Loose interpretation Enclosed" warning in story summary.__

* * *

_

_Tim: "Hey, Boss. How's the...shoulder?"__  
Tony: "Boy, McGee, when you blow it; you blow it big.  
Gibbs: "DiNozzo, it was an accident. MTAC McGee."_

As Tim quickly followed in Gibbs wake up to MTAC, he ferverently wished Gibbs would say something to let him know he didn't blame Tim for what happened in the parking garage. But, the younger agent knew it was false hope, anyway. The truth of the matter was it _was _his fault, Gibbs got hurt. He felt so bad about what happened, he could barely handle Gibbs' standoffish manner about it. Although it was typical Gibbs; being responsible for the man being in pain, made it extremely stressful and unsettling now. Quickly, refocusing his attention strictly to the job at hand, Tim put his dilemma with Gibbs on the back burner for now.

Gibbs silently watched McGee refocus; watched his personal struggle to put away the guilt he was carrying over what happened earlier. Nothing more was said about it. He was glad to see the agent's maturity take hold and allow him to reach the point where he put his priorities straight. The day wore on and eventually, Gibbs told the team to call it a night. As he watched his agents pack up and head out for the night, he was surprised to see McGee hadn't moved from his desk or even start packing up to call it a night. Gibbs knew Tim's case report was done, because he'd already signed off on it and sent it up to Vance, himself. What could he be working on?

As the doors to the elevators closed taking Tony and Ziva down to the parking garage, Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk.

"McGee."

"Boss?" Tim looked up to see what Gibbs wanted.

"Why are you still here?" Gibbs asked. "Your report's done. What could you possibly be working on?"

"Just catching up on the cold case I was trying to close up before we caught this one, Boss." Tim said quietly. In fact, his tone was extremely quiet; moreso than normal.

"It can wait, can't it?" Gibbs asked quietly.

_Guess, he doesn't want me to stay any later; better not piss him off any more._ Tim thought. "Yeah, it can wait. I'll head out; get back on this in the morning." Tim agreed as he immediately and very quickly closed up and gathered his things together. Now, it was like he couldn't wait to get out of here.

"Good. Night, McGee." Gibbs offered before he headed out to the break room for a coffee refill. What the heck was going on here? Gibbs wondered as he walked.

Tim hurried out; not wanting to still be here when the boss got back.

* * *

Five 'clock the next moring found Tim back at his desk; not quite completely rested; but at least feeling like he could get a head start to the day without any tormenting from Tony. This was the best time of the day for him. It was peaceful and allowed him to relax before the day turned into another day of harrassments and put downs. Even after six years, it was like running a daily marathon just trying to keep rising above it all.

When six-thirty rolled around, Gibbs walked in to find Tim hard at work; in all likelihood, on the case he'd been working on the night before. Before Gibbs could say anything, Vance caught his eye from the stairs, and beckoned him upstairs, again.

"Leon." Gibbs greeted.

"Gibbs." Leon gave back as he led the way into MTAC. As he took his seat, Gibbs did likewise next to him and turned his attention to the man sitting next to him.

"How well do you know your agents, Gibbs?"

"Are we back to this, Leon?" Gibbs asked in annoyance. "I thought we had this out yesterday!"

"Yesterday, I was unaware that one of your agents comes in two and a half hours early almost every morning, including weekends. He also stays at least two hours later than everyone else, again, almost every night, including weekends." Leon rejoined. "Play it." The Director instructed the tech guy.

As the security footage from the squad room play in fast-forward; but slow enough to see who and what was going on; Gibbs felt a twinge of guilt rake through him. Apparently, there was a lot more going on with McGee than he'd realized.

"Put a stop to this, Gibbs, before he burns out. He's too damn good at his job to lose him to that." Vance ordered as he rose from his seat and left MTAC.

Gibbs remained in his seat. "Knock the speed down a notch, zoom it in and replay it." Gibbs directed the tech guy. As he sat through the footage, it soon became apparent that McGee wasn't sleeping a full 8 hours most nights, but he was relaxed and actually working, productively. As the clock on the footage wound down and it got close to normal working hours, Tim would get tense and nervous and set about getting coffee and trying to enjoy it while he would stand at the window, with the view of the water.

Almost like clockwork, Tim would spend thirty minutes just staring out the window before heading back to his desk and getting back into his work, a mere fifteen minutes before he or Ziva would arrive. Tony was habitually late by a good ten minutes or so, but judging by the tape; Tim never stopped working, even as he answered whatever greeting sent his way from his teammates.

Having watched the tape all the way through, he now knew that Tim had been doing this for at least the last month. Had he been doing it for longer than that? "Where are the tapes from the two months before this?" Gibbs asked the techie.

"In storage." the guy answered. He'd heard Gibbs speak to other people enough to know the guy liked short answers that got right to the point and answered his questions without any beating around the bush.

"I need to know how long he's been doing this. How soon can you give me the answer?" Gibbs demanded.

"I"ll have it for you in a half hour, Agent Gibbs." the smart guy replied.

"Sam, isn't it?" Gibbs asked unexpectedly.

"Yes. It is."

"Okay. Thank you, Sam. This stays in this room. You call my cell when you have the answer."

As Gibbs left MTAC, he looked down at his agents and noticed all of them working, with no sign of horseplaying. That was strange. Quickly, he headed downstairs and the long way back around the entire floor, wanting to come up from behind his own desk; shake them up a bit. Obviously, in the course of his walk around the floor, he'd missed something important because Tony was no longer working; instead he was engaging in his favorite pasttime; badgering McGee. Wanting to see what was really going on with Tim, he let it play out.

"C'mon, McCranky, lighten up, what's wrong with you anyway?" Tony whined as he stood in front of Tim's desk waiting for Tim to react. "You're just pissed because you don't like the fact that the suttlebutt says Gibbs admitted I'm his best agent. It's not my fault he told my dad, I'm one of the best young agents he's ever worked with."

"Tony, I'm not in the mood for your humor, today. Please, just leave me alone." Tim asked patiently but without looking up from his work, although clearly beginning to lose patience. He was trying desperately to hold in his anger, but Tony was pushing all the right buttons and it wouldn't be long now before Tim lost it. He could feel it comin.

"What's wrong with my humor, McGrumpy?" Tony demanded.

"What's wrong with it? Are you serious? You really wanna go there with me, Tony?" Tim said, finally goaded and handed the golden opportunity to have his say. Looking at Tony, Tim suddenly felt the rage rise up in him from six years of torment and harrassment having gone unchecked. This final deliberate taunting hadn't helped. The words in themselves had almost bounced off Tim's armor; but the deliberateness and the intention to be cruel hadn't. No, they'd stuck and they'd been the final straw.

"Yeah, I wanna go there, McGoo. Go ahead, I can take it, McWhiney." Tony continued to taunt.

"Where should I start, Tony? Oh, yeah, let's start with the less than respectable way you address me. Then, let's move on to the countless times you thought to express hysterical laughter at the expense of my misery. Hmm. let's see; poison ivy twice and you superglueing some part of my body to something it didn't belong to several times. Oh, and let's not forget how funny you thought it was to stand there and laugh while I was screaming in pain from being tazered; not just once but twice! Let's add the unforgettable "When Dogs Attack" cd loaded into my computer and set to play the minute I touched my keyboard; just shortly after I'd been attacked by a vicious dog."

"Have I forgot to mention anything? Oh, wait, I have! How about the time I hadn't gotten to eat lunch until we got back here and you wouldn't let me even eat it then, because you were too busy being a jerk to be decent about it . After all, DiNozzo's rule about no eating in the car, only applies to me, right? Oh, that's right, that rule changed as soon as Tim threw his lunch away! Yeah, cause it's just so much fun to watch Tim throw away his lunch and to know he's throwing his money, too; that we just have to do it again and again!"

"That's about it, I think. Oh, wait, let's not forget your stupid pranks to get me in trouble with Gibbs; like you handing me his coffee when I was new here, deliberately letting me think you were giving it to me; and sitting back to laugh as Gibbs got pissed at me for it. We all know you're Gibbs' favorite, already, you don't have to rub it in all the damn time. You happy now? You pushed; once again, until I've snapped. You got your answer, now, so just, leave me alone, Tony!"

"Is that all?" Tony asked, desperately trying to infuse the situation with a touch of comedy.

Tim looked at him incredulously. "No. As a matter of fact, that's not all, Tony. How about you telling the ladies downstairs that I was gay? Yeah, you know the attitude toward that kind of lifestyle is just oh so positve even on the Yard, right? Yeah, thanks for that. Oh, and tricking me into not volunteering to go Iraq by lying to me when you knew I trusted you to be honest? Yeah, thanks for that one, too. Yeah, that one was real slick, _'Oh, don't volunteer, McGee, you don't want to see too eager.'_ Good one_._ You should have just admitted you didn't think I was good enough to do the job, Tony. Maybe Gibbs would have done you proud and gotten rid of me then, just to make you happy! I mean, since you're his favorite and all, right?

"You like to keep at it until I snap so that when I do, it comes out meaner than I intended and suddenly, I'm the bad guy. Nobody gives a damn that you've been working my nerves and treating me like crap for six damn years! All anyone cares about is how poor Tony doesn't deserve the mean thing Tim just said to him; or the disrespectful way it happened to come out; even though everyone in this agency knows I don't deliberately disrespect anyone; unless pushed too far!"

"Well, you know what, Tony? There's been a hell ova lot of crap I've taken from you that I never deserved. Yeah, DiNozzo, your humor's a real piece of work. It's cruel, but that never matters to you. You could care less, as long as you get your kicks out of it and Gibbs...." TIm stopped. He would not go there; especially when the man wasn't here to hear it.

Tim turned to leave before he said something he'd regret; then he stopped and turned back. "You know, Tony, working together all those months without Ziva, finding out we thought she'd been killed; going after the bastard who'd done it, together; living through that and getting her back? I thought that had changed things for us. I thought you finally respected me as a person. I guess I was wrong. Some things never change."

Tim stalked off from his desk, so stressed and worked up, he didn't even realize he'd passed Gibbs; standing where he'd obviously heard it all, as he ran for the stairs and just started running them; needing to burn off his rising anger and pent up energy. Up and down, he ran the flights of stairs for a solid ten minutes before he stopped and dropped to the step he was standing on, and sat back against the wall to catch his breath and calm down. _God, he'd done it now, he was probably in so much trouble now, he'd never get out of it. He hadn't even taken the time to grab his phone off his desk before he'd bolted_.

Gibbs watched his youngest field agent as he hit the stairwell running. Knowing the guy needed to cool off and pull himself together, Gibbs let him go without a word. Truth be told, Gibbs was in shock himself. The things he'd just heard, coming from the most unflappable member of his team; was hitting like a punch to the gut. Turning back to his other two agents, he wasn't surprised to find Tony frozen in shock. The guy had gotten more than he'd bargained for by pushing McGee too far, this time. Apparently, this blow up was long overdue.

Seeing Ziva looking shocked at everything she'd just heard wasn't a surprise either. Apparently, she'd had no idea just how much crap Tony pulled on McGee over the years. Truth be told, Gibbs had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to it long ago himself. Hearing McGee start to say something regarding him in the mix of all that, had been unsettling; especially since the young man hadn't even allowed himself to finish what it was he'd been trying to say about him. That could not be good.

Hearing Tony taunt McGee that way; with things Gibbs had said in praise of Tony; privately; never expecting them to be thrown in McGee's face; seemed to turn the light on for Gibbs. _God, maybe Vance was right. Just because Tony's so much like me that I can relate to him better doesn't mean Tim's not important; that I shouldn't be treating him with the same respect and in the same respect. Tony's longer tenure here shouldn't mean McGee gets treated like this or thought less of. How could I have let this get this bad?_

Needing time to think and knowing his agents did too, he let them off the hook.

"Take a walk. Both of you. I don't wanna see you back inside this building for at least 30 minutes!" Gibbs' bark startled both of them. Neither Tony or Ziva had realized he'd come back. _Oh, God, tell me, he didn't hear that!_ Tony desperately hoped.

"Why are you still standing here? Go. Now!"

"Yes, Boss."  
"Yes, Gibbs."

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked at his agent's retreating back.

Tony stopped and looked back at Gibbs. "Boss?"

"Be prepared to explain yourself when you get back." Gibbs warned.

"Boss, you already know..." Tony started to try to get out of it.

Gibbs looked pointedly toward the window.

_Oh, crap! Vance heard it, too?_

_"_My office. one hour!" Vance barked at Tony from where he'd been standing during the altercation; at the window by the stairs. Immediately, he turned and headed back up the stairs.

"So, we have an hour for lunch?" Tony tried to get the story straight. He couldn't believe he'd been so shocked he hadn't seen Vance standing there.

"No. you know how it goes, DiNozzo." Gibbs told him warily.

"But, Vance..." Tony attempted to reason with Gibbs.

"Is giving you an hour. I'm not. You've got thirty minutes to get your asses back here." Gibbs warned.

Tony and Ziva once again, headed toward the elevator.

"And Tony?" Gibbs called out.

"Yeah, Boss?" Tony offered in return.

"When you get back; be ready to explain it. To me."


	3. Man Up!

_A/N: __A very special "Thank you" Goes out to those readers and viewers who keep me going, with your continued reading and encouragements.__

* * *

_

Tony was lost in space; all the things Probie had hurled at him were spinning around in his head, sending it into overdrive. He was so out of it, he was operating on auto-piliot and actually let Ziva drive them to the place of her choice for lunch. Ziva felt he needed the time to think things through, so she left him alone to work through whatever he was thinking.

Making sure they were back in the squad room before their thirty minutes was up, Ziva propelled Tony through the entire lunch ordering, eating and getting back. Yeah, he was definately knocked for a loop, this time. As they walked off the elevator to the squad room with five minutes to spare, Gibbs nodded in approval as he beckoned Tony to come wth him and headed to the back elevator.

Wordlessly, they took the elevator to the floor where they'd find an empty conference room. Just as silently, Gibbs took a seat and waited for Tony to do the same. Several long, tense moments went by when each waited for the other to speak first. Finally, Gibbs lost his patience.

"DiNozzo, I'm waiting."

"Boss, I don't know what you want me to say. It's not like I wanted that to happen. I always tease him. I always call him a Mcsomething or other. You know that. I don't know what the hell happened down there!" Tony exclaimed.

"You haven't learned the warning signs, by now, DiNozzo?" Gibbs admonished in a calm voice.

"Warning signs for what, Boss?"

"Do I have to explain everything for you? Even mild mannered people have limits. Why is it you have to get your kicks out of pushing those limits when it comes to McGee? You've been doing it for six years now. You really didn't think there'd be any backlash from everything you've pulled on him over the years?"

"Boss, you know it was my way of taking the softness outta him, toughening him up! You never called me on it before."

"Yeah, Tony. I know. I had no problem with most of your methods. Doesn't mean I liked all of 'em. It does mean I should have paid more attention to the whole picture. I should have told you to tone it down. McGee's right. Sometimes you go too far. I've just been trusting you to know when to pull it back; and instead, you've been having too much fun to pay attention."

"Boss!"

"DiNozzo. Did you really spread the rumor that he was gay? In his _first_ year here? Did you _really_ not think about the repercussion of that?"

"I did tell the ladies downstairs that. It was a competition thing, Boss." Tony tried to explain.

"And to hell with the consequences for McGee; was that it, Tony?"

"No, Boss. I didn't expect anything to come of it. You gotta know that!"

"And the lying to him and tricking him about going to Iraq? What was that? You had to find a way to tell him he wasn't good enough without actually saying it?"

"NO! Boss, I didn't ... No!"

"Tony. You know, hearing everything from him earlier; I realized something. We're damn lucky he hasn't left yet!"

"Boss, he's just whining!"

"DiNozzo, as I recall, you pushed him into exploding and you goaded him into unloading on you. Now you want to claim he's whining. You can't have it both ways. You asked for this; you just chose to ignore the warning signs that it was coming. He gave you what you asked for. Man up and accept it. And while you're at it, accept the responsibility that's yours in this. Last time I checked no one wore a halo.

"I'm supposed to feel responsible because he holds grudges?" Tony asked in outrage.

"So, you feel like you've done nothing wrong? Every single thing you've done to him, you'd do it again? Is that what you're telling me?"

"No. Of course, I regret some of the stuff I've pulled on him, Boss.

"Then what's with the attitude?"

"Just pissed, Boss."

"Because he finally went off on you?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Where did you hear that I told someone that you were my best agent?"

"Skuttlebutt, Boss."

"And do we spread skuttlebutt, DiNozzo; especially when ithe purpose it serves is sticking the knife in someone?" Gibbs asked in his deceptively quiet tone.

"No. Boss, I don't know why I said that to him. Well, that's not true. He's such an easy target."

"Tone it down. Understand? I can't do much more than make sure you do that; since I've let you get by with it all this time. But, it stops now."

'Yeah, Boss. I got it. What happens now?"

"I don't know, DiNozzo. Right now, the ball's in Vance's court."

"Great."

"You better hope you can fix things with McGee."

"Yes, Boss."

* * *

The appointed hour, found Tony and Ziva heading into Director Vance's office with Gibbs right behind them. It had been a stressful hour for the boss man since the blowout. He'd not been able to reach McGee and no one had been able to locate him. On top of that, Gibbs' brain had been working hard to process everything he'd heard come out of McGee's mouth. Trying to talk to Tony without being heavy handed had been hard. But, since the guy had been allowed to run amuck for all this time; it wasn't reasonable to suddenly punish him where before he'd never had to worry about he said or did to McGee.. His days of having free reign over McGee, though; were now over.

As the trio stepped into Vance's office, they were pulled up short with shock, to see Tim McGee standing there with averted eyes and a slouched posture that spoke of guilt, the way only he could carry it.

"Have a seat." Vance ordered the group. "Agent McGee has something he'd like to say before we get started."

Once everyone else had sat down, unsurprisingly enough, no one was looking at anyone else; except Gibbs. He didn't waste any time checking Tim over to make sure his head was still in the game. Exploding on Tony the way he'd done was so rare for the young man, it didn't spark anger that he had done it; it sparked concern. When the normally unflappable Tim McGee felt pushed to the point of snapping back; something was definately wrong, very wrong.

"I just wanted to say to all of you, I'm really sorry for what I did down stairs and I don't expect it but I'm asking for your forgiveness." Tim straightened up his shoulders and faced them.

"Director, Vance, I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to talk to them. I'm sorry it became necessary. Whatever you decide my fate to be for what happened, I'll accept. Again, I'm sorry. All of you."

Tim stoically walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.


	4. Gibbs

_A/N: __A very special "Thank you" Goes out to those readers and viewers who keep me going, with your continued reading and encouragements._

_For those of you who've asked "what about the times Tim's been rude to Tony?"  
Tim already explained that when he went off on Tony; but it'll come back up real soon. There are **no** halos here._

* * *

Vance got right to the point as soon as Tim left. "I've given him the rest of the day off. You figure out what's going on on this team. Get this worked out. You fix this and you fix it soon. Let me just say this. Expecting my agents and my team leaders to respect each other equally as adults does not make me a hypocrite, despite what others may think; so before any of you even think in that direction, don't. Do take me seriously!"

"Respect is earned. You treat someone with disrespect you can damn well expect to get it back, at some point down the road. and when you do; you have no right to whine about it! This will not happen again! Are clear? Dismissed. "

The mood was somber as the group headed back to the squad room. Once there, Tim's absence was not only obvious but was also felt. Tony had been quiet, ever since Tim had exploded on him. Still silent, he sat down at his desk, and tried to process what had been said by everyone.

Gibbs and Ziva left him to his thoughts. Gibbs hoped he'd gotten through to him by not beating him over the head about it while Ziva hoped her staying out of it would help him think about things easier. Abby, who, of course, had heard about what happened, through the very active grapevine, came up to show her support; quietly giving Tony one of her trademark hugs and a quiet pep talk.

"I know this is hard, Tony. But, just put yourself in Tim's shoes for a minute, but make sure it's the pair he was wearing when he first got here. Keep walking in his shoes until you get to the here and now. You'll see, this can work out, but you're gonna have to meet him half way on this. I have faith in you, Tony. I know you can fix this."

The rest of the day passed with no further discussion of the matter. Work was resumed and calm once again prevailed. As Gibbs let Tony and Ziva go home for the night; he warned them to not even think of bothering McGee. Both of then promised they'd leave him alone.

* * *

Tim didn't remember driving home. Yet, here he was home, changing his work clothes for comfortable dog walking clothes and heading back out. After taking Jethro for his walk; he put him in the car and drove him to the park and proceeded to continuously let him chase the ball until the exhausted dog finally gave in and collapsed next to Tim.

After a long pensive period, where nothing crossed his mind and no one bothered him, he felt relaxed enough to go home and enjoy his evening; hoping that would extend through the weekend. Hopefully, the team would leave him alone and let him get himself back on track. He really didn't want this to be an issue any more, come Monday morning.

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. Tim was quick to take advantage of it; feeling the urge to get away from his apartment and the possibility of company he didn't want. His sister was back home with his parents for the weekend, so, he truly had the weekend to himself; well except for Jethro, of course. Packing himself snacks, a lunch, drinks and a couple of books and a blanket, Tim took Jethro and headed out, noticing with a smile that it was only 8 AM and he was actually looking forward to the day; a quiet day of solitude and relaxing with a book. This was something he hadn't done in a very long time.

For the longest time, now, he'd taken to losing himself in his online games in his off time, just to escape from everything. He hadn't touched his typewriter in over a year; since the first book hadn't gone over well with everyone, actually. His heart was no longer in writing. His teammates' reactions and the whole nightmare with Landon pretty much wiped out the inspiration and even the ability to think like that same author he had been,

Today was the first time in a very long time that he forced himself to put everything running through his mind on the back burner and put every ounce of energy he had into relaxing and enjoying the day for the gift of life that it was. Nothing needed to get in the way of this. Two hours later and not only was Tim ready to let Jethro amuse himself at his feet; here at the park, he was ready to try to read through a book; something else he hadn't done in forever. Looking at his watch, he was surprised to find it was only 10 in the morning. Eating a quick snack, he then got out one of the books he'd brought; stretched out and got comfortable and allowed himself to get lost in what he was reading..

Jethro's whining and jumping with happiness; apparently at the approach of someone he knew and liked.; startled Tim out of his reading. Sitting up quickly, and taking the time to close his book up properly and set it aside; the voice told the tale of who had excited Jethro, before Tim got the chance to see for himself.

_"McGee."_

Tim's heart stopped. _Great.. Now I'm in for it. There goes the weekend_. Tim immediately thought.. "Boss?"

_"Come here often?"_

"As often as I can for Jethro's sake."

_"We need to talk."_

"Now?"

_"Do you mind?"_

"No, Boss. It's okay."

_"Appreciate the apology, yesterday, McGee."_

"It was the least I could do."

_"Why?"_

"Why what?"

_"Why was it the least you could do? What more did you want to do?"_

"Take it all back."

_"Everything?"_

"No. I meant what I said. I just shouldn't have handled it the way I did. I let Tony push my buttons. It was stupid."

_"It's good that you recognize that you let him push you, McGee..."_

"Too little, too late."

"_It wasn't smart; wasn't exactly stupid either. __If it helps you learn from it for the next time, it's all good."_

"Thanks."

_"You gave DiNozzo a hell ova lot to chew on, McGee. Gave all of us a lot to think about."_

"That was only half of it," Tim muttered.

_"What?."_

"Never mind. Please. Just forget I said anything, Boss."

_"Not gonna happen, McGee. Talk to me"_

_"_I don't want to talk about it"

_"Why not? _

"I don't want this to turn into a 'Tony bashing'. I just want him to stop pushing me. And maybe, just maybe; think before he does something or says something' realize there _is_ such a thing as too far or too much."

_"And you want it to go away that easily?"_

"If only it could, Boss." Tim sadly admitted. "But, I know it won't. He focuses on the few times I've said something hurtful, by accident, way too much."

_"I thought you and I talked about names when I first came back from Mexico, McGee. What was that about?"_

"Boss, you know how demeaning he can be with calling me everything but my given name! 'Probie's one thing; and yes I learned to accept it after you were nice enough to talk to me about it. But most of these others? They're as belittling as he means them to be. There's not an ounce of respect in most of them."

_"Most of them?"_

"There are a few that aren't disrespectful or demeaning."

_"McGee. Did you parents not teach you that the biggest reason someone teases the hell out of you is because you mean something to them?"_

"Of course. This is different. Trust me. I know the difference. I've had my share of... never mind, Boss..."

_"I get it. You told us before that you were bullied in school. You've seen your share of the stuff bullying is made of. You're forgetting that you and Tony aren't wired the same way. They represent the fact that he cares about you. Is it his fault you don't take it that way?_

"So, you're telling me that I just have to suck it up; no matter what he comes up with."

_"I'm telling you that you need to talk to him and work through this without automatically assuming he means them as disrespectfully as you take them."_

_"_Okay."

_"Tell me what you're leaving out, McGee. Humor me._

"Boss."

_"Tim. I want this resolved. Completely. Understand?"_

"Yes. Let's just say that Tony's pretending to be a woman in an internet chat room; knowing he was talking with me; deliberately trying to set me up for the fall; wasn't something I can chalk up to simple harrassment. Neither are all the below the belt jabs about my never having a date or a girlfriend; especially now. This last one, was beyond cruel. How could anyone find humor in the fact that she was willing to kill me and almost did?"

_"I agree, that was going too far. We can work on re-setting the boundries. Will that work for you?"_

"That would be huge help."

_Finish what you started to say yesterday."_

"About?"

_"Me."_

"Boss, I…"

_"Need to get it off your chest, McGee.. Finish it. This isn't a test. We're not on the clock."_

"I just want this whole thing to go away, Boss."

_"That's not gonna happen until you get it all off your chest, You wanna put yourself in a position to let this happen again, Tim?"_

"Course, not."

_"Then, don't you think you should talk to me?"_

"Don't really feel like putting my neck out there on the chopping block, Boss; even if we are off the clock."

_"Suddenly, you don't trust me?"_

"You know I trust you! I trust you more than anyone else in my life; except my parents. But, didn't you hear what I said to Tony, yesterday? How can I not expect to catch hell for it?

_"Because you were right; you were goaded into it. And the fact that you should have handled it differently; doesn't mean the hammer's gonna come down on you because of it."._

"Can't we just drop this? Please!"

_"Not yet."_

"Why not?"

_"Have you heard what I have to say about it?."_

"I'm listening, Boss."

_"I have just one thing to say to you, McGee."_


	5. Gibbs II

_"I have just one thing to say to you, McGee."_

* * *

"This can't be good."

_**smack**  
_  
"Thanks, Boss."  
_  
"You're welcome."  
_  
"Um. What was that for, exactly?"  
_  
"For thinking you deserve to be the fall guy here, McGee!"  
_  
"I didn't realize I was, Boss. I'm just trying to leave this and move on."  
_  
"But, you can't, can you?"  
_  
"I'm trying to."  
_  
"That's not what I asked."_

_"_No, Boss, you're right. I can't, because I haven't worked things out with Tony.

_"That's one reason."_

"Meaning, you think there's more than one."

_"McGee, I'm gonna say this one last time, and this time I expect the honest truth; no fancy footwork to avoid answering me._

"Ok."

_"Finish what you started to say yesterday. Don't leave anything out."_

Tim took a deep breath and felt the panic move in. Deliberately, he forced himself to calm down.

_"McGee. Finish it. 'Gibbs...what?"_

"Lets Tony get by with all the crap he's pulled over the years. You act indifferent to it all, like..."

_"Go on."_

"Like he really _is_ your favorite. I mean we all know Abby's your 'favorite' favorite. God knows, I found that out the hard way with Mawher, but with Tony, it's a more _'in your face'_ favoritism. One that he exploits; not to mention; rubs our faces in; mainly mine."

_"Is that everything?"_

Tim looked at Gibbs incredulously. "Isn't that enough?"

_"Not if that's not all of it."_

"Boss, I've learned to deal with this, I've tried to get past it and I just want everything to go back to the way it was.

_"Obviously that's not completely true, is it?"_

"Okay, not exactly the way it was, but..."

_"McGee. Just answer the question. Is that all of it?"_

"No.

_"I'm waiting."_

"You expect us to be there for each other no matter what; most especially when one of us gets hurt on the job.

_"Ok."_

"But..."

_"McGee!"_

"But, you're not. Not for me."

_"Explan."_

"When I get hurt, like with the dog, or the tazers, or 'Amanda'; the case still comes first for you and I don't hear anything from you about it or even see you again for the rest of the day; but when any of the rest of them get hurt in any way on the job; you're right there for them."

_"You say that as if you've resigned yourself to it."_

"I have. I've resigned myself to the fact that for some reason, I'm not a partner on this team. I've tried to be. But, I get it. First Kate was Tony's partner and before I had a chance to be, Ziva came. I'm the computer tech on the team and that's my place. I get that. I may not like it, but I can live with it. The third wheel is better than not being on it at all."

_**Smack**_

"Boss, you asked me to be honest about this!"

_"You should have come to me sooner! I'm only human, McGee! I make mistakes and I do have times I should have handled something differently. You should have come to me about this a long time ago."_

"How was I supposed to do that? "

_"My door's always open."_

"I know, for Tony, for Abby, for Ducky and even for Ziva."

_"You, too, McGee. Why is it you don't realize that?_

"It's hard to think that when you seem to barely even tolorate me at work, Boss."

_"You really do believe that I think more of Tony than I do you!"_

"You haven't exactly shown me differently, Boss."

"Like what?"

"You want a 'for instance'?"

"Yeah, McGee, I do."

"Ok. When you came down to Abby's lab where she, Tony and I were talking about Ziva and where she could be; you just dropped the bomb on us that the ship she'd been on had gone done months before that with no survivors."

_"I know I did, McGee."_

"Abby turned to you for comfort."

_"She usually does."_

"Tony follwed you out, presumably to get more answers and to be able to talk to you about it."

_"He usually does."_

"Where was I?"

"_Still with Abby."_

"No. I wasn't. As soon as you walked out, she turned back to her machines and emersed herself in them. You know her coping mechanisms."

_"Ok. So, where were you?"_

"That's exactly my point, Boss."

_"What? That you weren't with Abby or following me like Tony?"_

"No. that for the rest of that day, no one cared how that bomb might have affected me. Not even you. I'm not like you, I can't shove it all to the side immediately and act like it's not affecting me."

_"Was kinda busy, McGee."_

"I know. But, you took the time that Abby needed to cry on your shoulder. And it didn't stop you from including Tony with whatever was being discussed and worked out about the situation. No one included me."

_"McGee."_

"You wanted a for instance, I gave it to you. It's like I said, Boss. I'm getting used to. But, that doesn't take the sting out right away. Now, can we just drop this, please?"

_"You were included in the mission."_

"You make it sound like I was included only as a favor to me or an afterthought!"

_"Not what I meant, McGee."_

I was volunteered without question. I'm not saying I wasn't happy to help; to be involved; to do what I could to help make it happen.

_And you did a damn good job. Both of you did."_

"Then why is this the first time I'm hearing that from you? And why did Tony think it appropriate to tell me that my contribution to the mission was "laying around. And why did Abby tell Ziva that 'Tony' risked his life to save her? We _all_ risked our lives over there. You, too. My point is we're a team. But, I'm not treated like a full-fledged member of that team, by anybody. Unless it's the computer side. It's because I'm the computer tech, third wheel. I get it.

"_I get it McGee. I see what you're saying."_

"What was it you wanted to tell me earlier, Boss?"

_"When?"_

"You said you had just one thing to say to me."

_"Right."_

"What was it?"

_"Thank you."_


	6. Are We Good?

_I can't believe this. _Tim said to himself again; as he'd repeatedly been doing for the past hour. He was still reeling from the long conversation he'd had with Gibbs earlier in the day and now here he was on his way to dinner at the man's house! At the boss' request! Sure, Gibbs had warned him that it was so he and Tony could work things out in a neutral place without it affecting their jobs or becoming out of control. But, still! Dinner at the boss' house? Tim thought back to the last part of his conversation with Gibbs earlier

_**flashback**_

"Thanks, for what, Boss?"

_For being the man you are. For rising about it all; the crap you've put up with; from me, from Tony, and even Ziva and Abby. For not letting it chase you off. For not calling me on any of this in front of the team. I know you would never do that, and thank you for that, too. For working so hard to make this work, even though you had all this stowed away. Although, I'll be the first one to tell you, McGee; keeping it all inside isn't the best way to handle things."_

"Thanks, Boss."

"_McGee. If it seems like I favor Tony more than you, I am sorry. Trying to use each of you in the areas of your strengths "aces in their places" is important. But, so is helping you develop other strengths and building up your skills where you're not as strong; weak even. Sending Tony and Ziva on a mission doesn't mean I don't think you're capable of doing the job. I have just as much confidence in your ability to do your job as I do in Tony._

_But, the fact remains that you have different skill sets and we all know how that works. But, just i__n case you missed the point? Having you here without them gives you the chance to build on somethings for youself while they're gone."_

"Thanks for telling me this. I appreciate it, Boss. If that were absolutely true, wouldn't you have pushed more computer training on the others?"

_"I should have way before now, you're right. It's something else I need to fix."_

"I'll help in any way I can, Boss."

_"I know, McGee. I know I can always count on you to do that, no matter what the task is. Don't think I don't appreciate that about you either._

"Thanks, Boss."

_"McGee. I've never intended to be there for them more than I have been for you or even the other way around. I'm just not the touchy, feely type and you seemed to need less of it than they did. I apologise for shortchanging you on it. Especially when it was about the team losing someone. __That was the other thing I meant to say to you earlier. I am sorry, about all of this."_

"Thank you, Boss. I really appreciate you telling me this. It helps a lot."

_"Good. And just so you know? There is no third wheel on my team. You are all needed equally and don't you forget that!"_

"Yes, Boss!"

_"McGee."_

"Yeah, Boss?"

"_Why haven't you said anything about what Tony said to you yesterday that set you off in the first place?"_

"Boss?"

_"Isn't that what started all of this? The fact that I told somone that Tony's' the best' and that I told his father that Tony was 'one of the finest young agents I've ever worked with."?"_

"No. That wasn't it, Boss."

_"Okay, I obviously missed something."_

"It wasn't what he said. It was the deliberately cutting, slap in the face, way he said it."

_"Okay. I can understand that. You're telling me that hearing what he said didn't bother you?"_

"No, Boss, what he said didn't bother me."

_"Why not?"_

"I already told you, I'm used to it. I should be used to the way he says it, too. I guess I was just too worn down by everything that's happened in the last month and I wasn't able to let it bounce off me like I usually do. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Boss; especially since it's on the weekend. I'm sure there's other things you'd rather be doing. I'll see you on Monday. C'mon, Jethro, time to go home and feed you."

Tim had stoically walked away after quickly picking up his things and Jethro's leash; not wating to give Gibbs the chance to say anything else. Everything had been said. Now, maybe the boss would let things drop and they could get back to the path of normalcy. Five minutes later he had finished stowing everything away in his car and even gotten the dog settled in the back seat when he again, heard his name.

_"Tim."_

"Boss?"

"_Got plans for tonight?"_

"No.

_"Good. Dinner at my place, six o'clock. Be there. You and Tony can use the evening to talk this out. You both need to get this out in the open where it won't affect your job and someone can be there to make sure you don't kill each other. Bring Jethro, he can have the run of the backyard while you're there."_

"Okay. Thanks, Boss."

_"McGee."_

"Boss?"

_"What did you mean 'you found that out the hard way with Mawher,?"_

"Boss, I know you remembered punishing me for what happened."

_"Yeah, of course I do."_

"Did you even say anything to Abby?"

_"About?"_

"That's what I thought."

_"McGee, explain it."_

"Boss, she goaded and pushed me over a stupid toothbrush. And then when I strictly told her not to open the door for anyone, she did it anyway. You only cared that I had screwed up. The fact that she was the one that opened the door for him, didn't matter!"

_"McGee she was in danger."_

"You think I didn't know that? You think I've been able to forgive myself for that? I haven't! It's right up there near the top of the list!"

_"What list, McGee?"_

"Boss, nevermind... You asked me a question and I gave you the answer."

_"**What** list, McGee?"_

"Unforgivable mistakes I've made since I've been on this job."

"Why are you keeping track? What can possibly be unforgivable? Everyone can be forgiven their mistakes, McGee."

"Not when it costs someone their life and pretty damn close to it, Boss."

_"I wanna see it."_

Boss, it's personal."

_"No, McGee, it's not; not when something that happened in your second year is on it and not if it still affects you like this. "_

"I told you, Boss. I learned from it. That was the only reason I brought it up."

_"McGee, I wanna see the list. I would like to know what goes on that head of yours better than I already do. Contrary to your belief, I do care about you."_

Tim took his wallet out and dug his list out of it; handing it reluctantly over to Gibbs. He knew what was on it by heart. Silently and with dread in his heart, he watched as Gibbs silently read it and then, to McGee's shock, put it his pocket!

_"We'll talk about this later. Don't forget, dinner at my house tonight at seven. Be there! Just put Jethro in the backyard when you get there and come on in. Like I said, my door's never locked."_

Gibbs had then been the one to turn and start to walk away; leaving Tim standing there in shock.

Surprisingly, Gibbs stopped and turned back around; obviously having something else to say. Walking back to where Tim remained standing; he waited until he reached him before he spoke.

_"Haven't seen a new book from you lately; not in a long time's a matter of fact."_

"There hasn't been one. Not since you tossed the cuffs on my desk and told me to arrest myself."

_"You weren't leaving me a choice, McGee."_

"It's not about that, Boss. I just lost it. The drive the inspiration; the thought patterns of writing; even the wish to write; all of it is gone."

_"Have you figured out how to get it back?"_

"No. I haven't exactly been willing to dwell on my failure in that part of my life, Boss."

_"Then don't. Focus on the success that it was before it was lost."_

"I can't do that. Too many things were sacrficed and too many people were hurt; and those two people were killed by Landon; all because I wanted to be a successful writer and I couldn't create characters without modeling them after real people. I can't go there right now.

_"Okay. Just don't give up on it completely or forever."_

"Why not?"

_"Because McGee, it's part of who you are; when you're happy. Isn't it your escape from the crap and the heartache we see at work?"_

"It was one of them. I still play online games to get away from it all ."

_"We'll talk more about this later. Just promise me you'll think about thinking about it."_

"Ok."

_"Good. See you at seven."_

Gibbs walked away and this time, he kept going.

_**End Flashback**

* * *

_

Now, here he was sitting in Gibbs' driveway, tempted to just turn the car around and go home. But, then again, at least Gibbs knew where he was coming from now and was here to keep things from getting too out of control. Maybe, this was the best way to deal with Tony. God knows having this chance to do it at Gibbs' house was totally unexpected and most appreciated.

Getting out of the car, he put the leash on Jethro and led him to the backyard, unhooking him and releasing him into the yard, watching him run in the open space. Taking himself over to the porch, he absently sat down, getting lost in the moment as he watched his dog frolick. The soothing sounds of peace and quiet mixed with fresh air in a secure place was easy to get lost in.

_"McGee."_ Gibbs spoke to him when he'd noticed Jethro in his backyard and had come out to look for Tim.

Tim didn't answer him which was unusal. Looking at the young man again, Gibbs realized he was lost in his thoughts.

_"Hey, McGee!"_

"Huh? Oh, Sorry, Boss."

_"What's going on?"_

"Nothing, I was just relaxing. It's so peaceful here, for a neighborhood."

_"Yeah, it is. C'mon inside, Tony's already here and we're ready to eat."_

"Okay."

_"Relax, stop worrying about it. Just be yourself."_ Gibbs encouraged; a rareity for him.

Stepping inside Gibbs house was a rare occasion for Tim; one that he relished; knowing somehow, while he was here, he really did belong on the team.

"Jeez, McStunned, you look you've never seen the inside of Gibbs' house before!" Tony joked from the doorway to the hall.

Gibbs stopped and looked back; to find the look on Tim's face did in fact bring home the fact that the young man had not been here before. Or if he had, it had been a very long time ago. That was a pretty damn sad state of affairs for someone who'd been on his team for six years.

_"Let's eat."_ Gibbs broke in, not wanting anything else to come up that needed to be handled.

Soon the kitchen was quiet except the sound of three guys chowing down on subs and chips with soda or coffee to chase it all down with. The meal was a quiet one and no one seemed willing to break the barrier. But, once dinner was done, Gibbs took both Tony and Tim back out to the backporch and beckoned them to take a seat.

_"We all agree this needs to be worked out now?"_ Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Boss."  
"Yes, Boss."

_"Good. Tim, the floor is yours, but to make things easy, I'm gonna throw something out there that needs to be addressed for all of our sakes. The countless nicknames Tony uses on you."_

"I just need them to stop. Not all of them; just the disprespectful, intentionally demeaning ones." Tim explained.

"You're pissed because I call you names?" Tony asked in outright irritation.

_"Tony!"_ Gibbs warned.

"How many do you have?" Tim asked quietly.

"How many what?" Tony asked bitingly.

"Tony, do you want to work this out?" Tim asked in abject resignation. He already could sense that this was a waste of time and of Gibbs' good intentions; which pissed Tim off. "Cause, right now, all you're doing is spitting in Gibbs' face. He was nice enough to let us do this here, instead of risking our jobs! The least you can do is act like you wanna work this out!" His voice had risen in anger.

"Hey! Okay, McGee! Jeez!" Tony whined. "Yeah, I wanna work this out. I just don't understand your sudden blow-up and why it's a big deal now!"

Tim silently looked to Gibbs with _I told you so,_ clearly written on his face.

Gibbs stepped up. _"DiNozzo, that's the exact attitude that has created this problem and kept it building until he did explode. You don't wear ignorant very well, so, cut the crap_."

"Yes, Boss. How many what, McGee?" Tony settled down and asked the question.

"How many nicknames or names are you handed in a single day or even a week? And how many of them are as I said, intentionally demeaning or disrespectful?"

_"McGee."_ Gibbs intervened.

"Boss, I'm not talking about 'Probie'. We've covered that one already; a long time ago." Tim looked at Gibbs with genuine appreciation for that long ago conversation that had come to mean a hell ova lot to him.

_"Okay."_ Gibbs actually had to smile. Who would have thought that such a short conversation would have such a lasting impact?

"What do you mean you covered a long time ago?" Tony demanded.

_"DiNozzo, get back to the question McGee asked you."_ Gibbs directed.

"I dunno, McGee. Not many." Tony answered.

"And how many do I use on you?" Tim asked.

"None." Tony admitted

"Okay. It's bad enough that I don't rate the use of my first name very often by anyone other than Ducky's version; and Abby's version. But the ones that use just to be disrespectful or demeaning? Yeah, they need to stop. Please." Tim pushed.

"I can't change over night!" Tony complained.

"_You can start by working on it!"_ Gibbs ordered.

"Got it, Boss." Tony answered. "Anything else?"

"Well, yeah, Tony; otherwise we wouldn't be here right now." Tim answered in all seriousness.

Gibbs' attention snapped on that remark. It was obvious that Tim needed to be shown in the near future how welcome he was to all aspects of being on this team; including being here more often for dinner; so that he wasn't uncomfortable here anymore, like he so obviously was right now.

"Look McGee. Gibbs already told me to cool the teasing down. I get it, man. I'm sorry. I know I go too far; but it's like I can't help myself. You're an easy target. You know I care about you. We've got each other's back. Didn't we prove that when we rescued Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Tony. I appreciate your apolgy. I'm not; however, gonna apologise for being the easy target you claim I am. Like, you; I can't change overnight. But, I have done a hell ova lot of changing in the last six years, Tony. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be here. And as far as what we proved when we were successful in rescuing Ziva; apparently is a matter of opinion." Tim answered.

"Okay, slow down. What do you mean 'otherwise, you wouldn't still be here.'?" Tony demanded.

"Can we get back to resolving this, please?" Tim requested; not wanting any more attention being put on his slip of the tongue.

"_McGee. I'd like to hear the answer to that one myself."_ Gibbs quietly requested.

"Okay, But, later, please?" Tim asked his boss.

_"Ok."_ Gibbs conceded.

"Fine. What did you mean about what we proved being a matter of opinion?" Tony demanded; feeling put out that Tim didn't want to go into details about something with him, but obviously, was willing to talk to Gibbs about it later.

"Simple, Tony. You told me that my contribution to the mission was; and I quote you on this; _'laying around_.'. Abby told Ziva that _you_ risked your life to save her. So, according to both yours and Abby's opinions, Gibbs and I did nothing; didn't risk our lives; and didn't even help the mission at all! Apparently, you're a hell ova one man team, Tony; complete with your own personal cheer leader! I congratulate you! You brought Ziva back safe and sound all by your lonesome!"

_**"McGee!"**_ Gibbs was stunned. He hadn't seen that one coming.

"I'm sorry, I guess that one was festering worse than I thought. I need some air." Tim walked down off the porch steps and spent a few minutes playing with Jethro while he forced himself back under control. _That had been stupid; stooping to Tony's normal level of handling things. But, God, it felt so good to have it off his chest! That crap with Amanda really tore the roof off worse than he'd thought. Maybe he needed to get away before this got worse._

Walking back to the porch and sitting back down, Tim couldn't bring himself to look at either Tony or Gibbs. "Can we move on with this, please?" His question was asked in general. Tony answered it.

"McGee, I was joking when I said your contribution to the mission was you laying around. I thought you knew that! It was not meant as a put down. I know damn well it took all of us to see that one through successfully and get back here alive. If you thought for a second that I believed otherwise, I'm sorry! And you gotta know that Abby made her statement in regard to Ziva's relationship trouble with me over Rivkin. She definately didn't mean it the way you're saying she did!" Tony explained.

"Tony, I appreciate that. And, I'm smart enough to realize that what you're saying about Abby is right. But, it all ties in to a much bigger picture." Tim replied.

"Ok. So tell me what that picture is!" Tony requested.

As Tim explained it to Tony in the same manner he'd explained it to Gibbs earlier; Tony began to see the intricices of how Tim's mind worked and why everything had blown up in his face yesterday. "I'm sorry, McGee. I never meant to treat you like a high school bully. A college frat pledgie, sure; but I get it. There's a time to stop with that and treat you with the respect you've earned and I haven't done that; not completely. I'm sorry. And I know I lay into you about women too much, especially after this thing with the assassin."

"Thank you, Tony. I know neither of us can change over night; but it helps to know that I'm not fighting a losing battle on this front." Tim managed to respond.

"Did you really think you weren't needed on the team anymore?" Tony asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Tony. I did. I'm glad I was wrong, though." Tim answered.

"So. You and me; we're good?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, Tony. We're good; so long as we both keep working on keeping it that way." Tim replied with a small smile.

"Boss?"

_"Go on; get outta here. I know you've got a date_." Gibbs told him with a smile.

Tim stood up, getting ready to call Jethro in from the yard so they could leave too. He gave the dog some time playing catch first as Tony left.

_"Tim, you don't have to leave yet. I'd like to finish our conversation from this morning_." Gibbs told him.

"Okay. I don't guess you're gonna let this drop."

_"No. I think it's too important."_

"Okay."

* * *

Monday morning, everyone was at their desks before the official start of the day. Each of them already had breakfast and coffee; compliments of Tim. Now, each sat lost in their own work; their thoughts churning with both the cold case in their hands and the events of the past couple of days.

Tony was relieved that he and Tim had mended things and that for the most part things could return to normal within reason; with some serious but important changes that he could live with and that he also now understood the need for.

Ziva was relieved to see that all was well with her team again; without her having to have gotten in the middle of things.

Gibbs was thankful to have had the opportunity to breach the walls that surrounded Tim's personal ordeals and struggles; both on and off the job. Seeing where the young man had been coming from and what he'd been holding in and holding onto and why he had been; had been an eye opener for Gibbs. Between that and the blow up he'd been fortunate enough to be witness too; Gibbs had been given the wake-up call he needed to fix things before it had gotten to be too late.

Tim was overwhelmed with relief and a sense of belonging that he hadn't had before on this team; ever. He had never before had the chance to talk to Gibbs and get to know him and allow Gibbs to get to know him; like they'd been able to do on Saturday morning and again Saturday evening. After Tony had gone for his date and Gibbs had asked Tim to stay; a lot of things had been talked about and ironed out.

Gibbs had even helped him put away that stupid list he'd been carrying for years. The guilt and pain he'd been carrying for the deaths he'd continued to feel responsible for had been put into proper perspective. And this crap with 'Amanda' had been talked about until he felt better able to live with who he was as a person; in spite of what she'd done.

Vance came in apparently expecting trouble; if the look on his face was anything to go by. When he found peace and quiet and alert agents at their desks on time and already working, he was left with only one question to ask.

"Are we good?"

"Yes, Sir. All good!" came the chorus of four voices in agreement.

Oh, Yeah All was right with the world, finally.


End file.
